We first caught a glimpse of it at Amelia Island last year, when Terry Cook of Delahaye USA (as well as of Deco Rides and Lead East fame) showed off a scale model of the upcoming Bella Figura. Now, Delahaye USA, the company that Cook started in 2007, plans to show the real thing later this month in Monterey.

Scheduled to debut August 19 at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering (with showings the following two days at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca), the Bella Figura, shown here in a series of concept renderings, is a modern interpretation of the Bugatti 57S, what Delahaye USA calls a “carbon fiber tribute to Jean Bugatti.”

Much more than a replica, this artistically stylized, stretched and widened coupe comfortably fits two six-foot-six occupants. While respecting the classic Bugatti look and feel, the Bella Figura is built to modern standards in all other respects, including air conditioning, power brakes, steering, and windows, choice of interior and exterior finishes, and modern affordable engines selected to suit 21st century driving conditions.

Designed in conjunction with Revolution Design Studios in Madison Heights, Michigan, the Bella Figura will use either handbuilt aluminum bodies or carbon fiber bodies atop a 127-inch wheelbase chassis designed and built by The Roadster Shop in Mundelein, Illinois, to accept any customer-specified engine. Scheduled to enter production in November, the Bella Figura will come in either right- or left-hand drive and will be available in turnkey form, less drivetrain, as a chassis only, or in components to be assembled by the customer. The carbon fiber-bodied Bella Figura, supplied in turnkey form, is expected to sell for more than $250,000; the aluminum-bodied Bella Figura is expected to sell for $400,000 painted.

41 Responses to “A new Bugatti 57S? Call it Bella Figura”

Terrific, who will be the buyers? Hedge fund thugs,hip hopers,billionares with 2 inch winnies,third world country leaders fleeing Africa,the Mormon F. CHURCH or donald trump.[does he even know how to drive?]

WOW ! I do work a lot with impressive Excalibur and Clenet cars here in Spain, but what I see her ay DelahayeUSA tops it all ! Fantastic ! Hope they will surwive the bad economic times we all have at the moment and ad some beautiful motorcars to our globe.

While I do admire cars that resemble the classics of years gone by. As a kid I drew many cars that resembled the classics. I have to admit that this does not impress me. Imagine how difficult this would be to drive. Forward visibility wouldn’t be all that great and backing this car would be a nightmare with no rearward visibility at all. To me this is just an ego booster for those with too much disposable income. It will fail, the timing is bad and the price too high. The money would be better spent on a genuine classic.

As I consider the socio-economic conditions of the 1930s when the original Bugatti 57S was marketed, I’m pretty sure the average motorist looked upon that muscular machine and exclaimed, “Imagine how difficult this would be to drive. Forward visibility wouldn’t be all that great and backing this car would be a nightmare with no rearward visibility at all. To me this is just an ego booster for those with too much disposable income. It will fail, the timing is bad and the price too high.” But thank goodness for the bootlegging thugs, movie stars, millionares with two women on each arm, third-world-country leaders fleeing the Middle East, wealthy preachers and J.P. Getty who chose to spend their money on the impractical extravagances that richen our car hobby today.

This designer has a hundred year old soul and understands completely why the best cars in the late 20s and 30s looked the way they did. Congratulations for a masterpiece and again for having the courage to premier it in Monterey.

Beautiful lines – until you see the front. 540K radiator? Check. XK 120 headlamps? Got ’em. Nose completely out of sync with the rest of the car? Bingo. Too huge to actually drive? Yup. Barf! Just because it’s egregiously expensive doesn’t mean it’s not hideously tacky. Bruce Mohs lives! And for those who may choose not to remember, Chrysler built a far more gorgeous Bugatti tribute – remember the Atlantic concept car? If only they’d put it in production, it would have sold a million.

I have to agree with Brian. I feek the Atlantic concept, while similar in design, is a much better looking vehicle. By the way, D P, the concept vehicle resting in the hold of the Andrea Doria is/was the Chrysler Norsman.

Ok. The name of the Chrysler concept car was the “Atlantique” It had just been hand made in Italy by, I think, Pinninfarina. It died with the Doria off the coast of New England in ’56.
I just now realized that I may be one of the few who remembers this event.

There are a few hot rod shops here in southern California, Foose and Holllywood Hot Rods, to name two, who could build a better looking car (the front just doesn’t go with the rest of the body) for about half the price Delahaye USA expects to get.

This car is a little confusing to me. First, it has little or nothing to do with a Delahaye. Second, the design is more Talbot-Lago (meets Bugatti). And third, why does it have a Hispano-Suiza stork mascot?

All naysayers check out the choices Morgan of Malvern Link have made in updating their designs which are back to the future. Their first attempt had strange headlights that looked like they had a problem tracking straight ahead. Just walk towards your car without looking at the front. Always. Problem styling solved.

Nothing exceeds like excess….How about a reality check?? The only folks that can afford these are the beneficiaries of the Bush Tax cuts…nothing like rubbing it in to all the folks who are unemployed or underemployed….maybe the can get jobs waxing the fenders?

i had the pleasure, and i feel the honor of seeing this masterpiece at the hot rod show in louisville ky this past saturday. Jim Paterson of long john silvers restuarant fame has displayed his original at peeple, amelia and of course at churchill downs.
The Bella Figura type 57s coupe coupled with the suggested M70 BMW V-12, all alluminium 5 liter, also will show first with the supercharged 556 HP 6.2 litre LSA Cadillac engine as their first production car. They suggest for the top of the line experience, the RENNTECH, twin turbocharged Mercedes V-12. You can also opt for the Jaguar inline six.
I draw your attention that the turnkey builds have the drive train and engine included, so the purchaser can also have the option of mating the full carbon body or the hybird body which is 45k and 37 k approx, with their drive train, engine choice for considerably less than the 250k to 450k range.
I would venture to say that the entry level chassis at about 18k with engine and drive train, and of course interior et all can be had for about 75k.

This is a car you could pedastal in your atrium or living room!
We missed the unveiling of Ralph Laurens selected display at the (I call it the art deco museum, my wife knows the real name) in paris by 5 days. His Delahaye was in the center, front entrance hall, under cover. The guard would not let me left the cover for an early peak!

This one is just too large to accommodate the feeling and presence of the 1936-1938 Bugatti Type 57SC “Atlantic” Coupe. I’ve been lucky enough to see the real thing up close and personal at the Mullin Automotive Museum in Oxnard, CA 93033 in Aug-Sept 2010. In fact I shot some amazing photos of the $40 Million slice of automotive history with a couple different DSLR cameras before the crowd came and ruined the display of that gorgeous machine, and suffice to say that it is a near-religious experience to be close to the 57SC Atlantic.

I doubt that this machine is to be taken seriously, honestly. I thought it was a clever joke by the Hemming’s people on all of us, just to get our knee-jerk reactions to such a thing being produced. And it still does feel just like that, a sad but relevant joke of the week for your benefit, and mine too. If this thing goes live and ever is for sale, that would be equivalent to a 250-inch 911 Turbo, maybe a super-sized Ferrari 458 Italia about 18 feet long, who knows the limits of this type of thinking anyway?

The whole thing seems concocted and fished out of the Seine River at dusk on a balmy Paris day, when too much red wine and pastry has rendered one senseless and full of provocative humor. Does anyone here believe this piece, I mean really believe that this over sized bella macchina is going full production? Hah! I think not… pigs fly also, correct?

Thanks to Kit Foster for the link to pics of the Atlantic. It shows you the excellence in design when Designers are cut loose to show their passions. Me thinks it would have been a MIlestone car had it been put into production. As far as the design for the Bella Figura goes…It’s what happens when you put a pigs snout on a busty mermaid!

Wonderful, glorious, adorable! But I wonder if stretching the Bugatti 57 design was a good idea. It just somehow looks overly long in terms of the original coupe concept. Rather have this than spend half a million on the Ghia Ford Probe though.

At 18 feet it would be about the same size as a Dodge Ram Van or Ford E150 Econoline. Both are the ubiquitous full size vans that have been around since long before the advent of “mini” vans. Yes extravagant retched excess but then again so are full size conversion vans, RR Phantoms and others but what a way to go in style. A GT that WILL be noticed where ever driven. The look without any bumper to protect the body care will have to be taken in parking. Can you say valet only?